Coupling-engaging elevators, without slips, have been employed to closely surround the pipe and engage the bottom of the coupling at the pipe end. Lifting the elevator lifts the pipe by exerting force against the base of the coupling. This technique is not suitable for use with heavy strings and couplings that are tapered, slender, or otherwise incapable of withstanding the concentrated axial forces imposed along their lower perimeter. Conventionally, heavy strings and pipe with connections not suitable for use with a coupling-engaging elevator have required the use of slip-type elevators. The slip-type elevators are equipped with dies having teeth designed to increase the frictional resistance between the elevator and the pipe. These teeth exert an increasingly greater radial force against the pipe as the weight of the string increases. Pipe made from certain alloys, including chrome, and nickel and steel, is easily damaged by the effects of the die teeth. Such materials are typically required in highly corrosive environments in which any pipe damage is particularly hazardous.